Prevent colds, flu, disease with proper sneezing and healthy lifestyle habits

Prevent colds and flu and other airborn illness by sneezing correctly. Here is the appropriate way to sneeze. Government officials like Health & Human Services' Kathleen Sebelius aren't the only ones who can teach you how to sneeze effectively, to prevent the spread of disease. Elmo, a favorite Sesame Street character, also knows how to sneeze in the right direction. Watch this video clip, demonstrating your best moves when sneezing:

What else can you do to prevent getting a cold, or flu?
Wash your hands often, especially when you are out in public with many people.
Avoid sick people. They don't have the courtesy to stay home when they are sick, but it doesn't mean that you must be around them. Respect yourself by creating your own healthy space.
Get plenty of sleep. When you lack good-quality sleep, your immune system is compromised. Sleep patterns can change, too, as our daylight time shifts. Make adjustments.
Eat healthy, nutritious foods. Bright-colored vegetables are the nutritional key to disease prevention. Being overweight represents a disease state, and it puts you at risk for more disease, so manage your weight and keep it healthy.
Exercise! Get plenty of exercise to boost your immune system. It is one of the few free, simple, gifts that we can give ourselves to stay healthy. Not only does exercise boost the immune system and prevent disease, but it also aids sleep, improves mood, and relieves stress. If you're sleeping better, feeling happy and stress-free, then your body can optimally resist getting sick!

Low Energy from Statin drug use may lead to other health risks

Statin drugs can create many possible side effects, including low energy, amnesia and memory problems, inflammation, and stiff muscles.
These side effects can cause you to avoid some of the healthy lifestyle habits that are critical to lowering your cholesterol naturally! Exercise is critical to cholesterol reduction. This can be tough if the statin drug is causing you to have low energy and stiff muscles.

Watch this video clip to find out more about decreased energy due to statins:



Exercise is critical to good health. If you have high cholesterol, exercise and nutrition are important to naturally lower it.
If your statin drugs are reducing your energy, here are more tips so you can lower cholesterol naturally and boost your energy:
* Get short bouts of exercise throughout your day, whenever you have energy. For example, run errands for work on foot like post office visits and buying supplies.
* At work, take regular stretching breaks. When you get up for a bathroom break, walk briskly. Take the stairs.
* When driving places, park farther away to walk a little extra.
* Kick Caffeine! Take a weekend and go off all caffeinated beverages. Over time, our bodies build up a tolerance to caffeine, so we end up more tired and lifeless!
* Eat nutritious, high-energy foods for snacks, like nuts and dried fruits. But do not snack in between each meal. If you keep your digestive system working 'round the clock, it might "drain the brain" and leave you less alert or focused.

Healthy, nutritious foods for cheaper

Eating healthy does not have to mean spending alot on groceries. Nutritionist Frances Largeman-Roth explains in this video how eating nutritious foods can save you money:



Note: some nutritionists would argue that fresh fruits and vegetables are much more nutritious (than frozen) because they have live enzymes that are killed in the freezing process.

We can't believe she didn't mention ...BEANS! You can buy beans in bulk at your local health-food grocery store. They are one of the healthiest foods on Earth! Fiber, protein, iron. You just can't beat a bean. Buying in bulk saves you money, if you don't buy more than you can eat. Bring your own bags and containers and buy cheaper!

Canned vegetables are also a nutritious but cheap alternative to eating fresh vegetables.

Traditional Japanese Nutrition: prevent disease with these 3 habits

The Japanese diet has always been healthy and more nutritious, especially when compared to Western eating. What's their secret?

Being an island, their diet relies heavily on fish. That's the first ingredient in a nutritious diet. Seafood contains omega fatty acids that contribute to such basic functions as brain activity and hormone balance. (Americans- there was a good reason your mother made you drink cod liver oil).

Next, the Japanese eat a variety of vegetables. You will notice that a bounty of fresh vegetables make up a typical Japanese meal. They are usually eaten raw or steamed, which keeps them in their most nutritious states.

Last, Consciousness plays a big role: the Japanese make their meals a personal and creative experience. They fill their plates with colorful combinations and decoratively-sculpted pieces. (Eating a variety of colors also gives your body the variety of vitamins and minerals it needs). They put time and attention into their meals. Transforming them into art masterpieces is part of the eating journal.

If Western cultures like the US used these 3 habits in their meal preparations, we could rid ourselves of many preventable diseases!

To get a "taste" of 'Tokyo Taste', the first international gastronomical summit, watch this video clip:

Post-Exercise Nutrition Tips for better metabolism and insulin control

You know that exercise increases metabolism, and that an "energy bar" is a good post-workout snack, right? Yes, it's a metabolism-booster, but NO, energy bars might undo some of the good work you just did!



Do you know how exercise regulates insulin? And do you know which are the best post-workout snacks? Read this article and learn what 2 recent studies determined about exercise, insulin control, and post-exercise nutrition:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Post-Workout-Nutrition---Retain-Exercise-Benefits-and-Regulate-Insulin-by-Reducing-Carb-Intake&id=1880683

Those "energy bars" might actually zap your energy if they make your metabolism and blood glucose levels come crashing back down.
For better post-workout nutrition:
* Read your nutrition labels of your foods
* Avoid eating immediately after you exercise unless you are hypoglycemic or feeling famished.
* Get out of the habit of snacking in response to exercise. Instead of "rewarding yourself" with food, try healthier rewards like >extra time in the jacuzzi; >getting a massage; >5 minutes of "you time" with your favorite music and candlelight; or >buying a new workout outfit.
* Unless you are bodybuilding or training for an endurance event, you do not need to follow exercise with food. Learn about your nutrition needs and how your metabolism responds to exercise.

Setting Weight Loss Goals? 5 Nutrition Goals to get you there!

If you want to lose weight, and you have set goals, then nutrition and eating healthy are factors in reaching those weight loss goals. But where do you start?

It can be hard to just "learn a new lifestyle". This is why most people struggle, bouncing from one diet to another. They are trying to learn new behaviors and actions, so they try new diets.

We know how important it is to set goals. To achieve, in weight loss or relationships or work, goal-setting is the first step to success. To give you some better ideas about goal-setting, read this article for 5 great examples of nutrition goals to help you lose weight:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Weight-Loss-Goals-That-Work---Learn-These-5-Nutrition-Goals-So-You-Can-Lose-Weight-Quickly&id=1827409

As you start making new goals, other ideas might come to mind. Brainstorm Away! Let your thoughts flow because it's a process. Eventually, your healthiest habits will emerge from your own personal habits and struggles.

Let the article's 5 nutrition goals kick-start your new habits and generate new ideas, but know that, in the end...
It's your personal journey!

Reduce inflammation and c-reactive proteins: don't overlook greater health problems by using statins for heart disease

The American Heart Association shares the annual conference's hottest news about statin drugs for heart disease:

According to the study, if you have high CRPs (C-Reactive Proteins), your cardiologist might consider prescribing statins. CRPs are an indication of inflammation.

Inflammation is just one indicator for disease in the body. It seems premature to prescribe a medication for heart disease if you have greater problems that might be "hiding" under the inflammation. Also, the doctor interviewed noted that they do not know the long-term effects of using statins! This should be a huge red flag!

If you have high CRPs, you should consider urgently changing your lifestyle and begin to Eat Healthier and get more Exercise.

Watch this video and cardiologist interview:


Before you consider the use of statins, Learn more about CRPs and inflammation. Weight the risks- Which is more important? Using a statin to reduce early indicators for heart disease, versus practicing Healthier Lifestyle habits (like eating more nutritious foods and getting more exercise) that will reduce inflammation and reverse the disease process.

If you choose to attack the CRPs yourself, with natural lifestyle changes, then you will prevent disease on a larger scale for yourself. And heart disease may be just one of the diseases that you can prevent!

Prevent colds and flu with cleaning

Yes, washing hands and washing surfaces is still the best way to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. If you want to avoid getting sick with a cold or flu, it is important that you keep your hands clean.

This is especially important to keep in mind when you are in a public place. Sick people, in public, are spreading their germs like wildfire.

If you use hand sanitizers like purse-size gels, make sure you read the directions. Most of them are not effective unless you wipe your hands together rigorously for one minute or more!

Watch this video to understand how germs stay on surfaces and then get spread:


Do not rely on your anti-bacterial soaps to keep you healthy and disease-free! A healthy lifestyle, full of regular exercise and eating nutritious foods, is the key to a strong immune system!

Local, nutritious, sustainable foods in the city

When it comes to growing nutritious, local foods in a sustainable setting, this Milwaukee farmer is raising the bar high for cities. His sustainable farm makes the most of its resources and its limited city space.

Watch how he does it:



This is the type of farming that teaches people, and whole communities, about their food supply. They learn efficient ways to grow healthy and nutritious foods. Let's think, observe and learn from this family's farm!

Women's roles

This study looked at women't roles amongst married couples. What's interesting is to find how each spouse is happy, or at least, comfortable, with their roles. If women are cooking more often, are they more likely to be responsible for nutrition and healthy eating? Hmmm...

Back to the video topic...
What does a women's role include in the house?



Okay, so the clicker is shared- this is good. But what about other roles? Who makes the household healthy?
Exercise, sleep, nutrition and healthy eating- who is the more pro-active parent? Who sets the rules for a healthy household? How does a couple stay healthy?

These are big questions that aging researchers will slowly uncover.

Not-so-nutritious foods: do you know what you're eating?

What's really in your food? Nutrition counselors reveal the shocking facts and numbers about foods that sound nutritious but aren't.



How many calories in a meal? Enhanced kool-aid? Learn what's in your food before you eat it!

Exercise, Diet, Yoga reverse Cancer in Dr. Dean Ornish study

It is no secret that regular exercise, nutritious eating, meditation and yoga are great for your health. But this study shows that they are powerful enough to reverse the course of cancer!

As Dr. Dean Ornish says, the body is more dynamic than we thought. Watch this video for more (then read on, below):



And what I find amazing about the results of the study was that the program suggested a mere 30 minutes of exercise daily! 30 minutes!

How many Americans who are facing death by cancer can't find 30 minutes for exercise every day?

Dr. Ornish describes how you can genetically alter your body to reverse cancer. He studied men with prostate cancer. He says these same tactics can be helpful in reversing other forms of cancer, too, such as breast cancer.

In the past, we have seen research studies that demonstrate how an exercising group were less likely to get cancer than non-exercising groups. And how research participants who ate healthy low-fat, vegetarian diets were less likely to get cancer than their study counterparts who ate less healthy foods.
But Dr. Dean Ornish's study is very different...
He studies men who already had been diagnosed with cancer. This study takes exercise from prevention to treatment status. This is significant, and of vital importance to anyone recently diagnosed with cancer!

This study is amazing, and it shows how, truly, Exercise is Medicine!

Increase Foods' Nutritional value: Culinary Medical doctor's advice

How can you get more nutritional value from the same foods that you eat? Learn from Dr. John LaPuma how to eat. Really amazing tips that you would never guess!



How do you eat? This is the time of year when we can enjoy an array of fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables. You can increase the nutritional value by picking your own fruit, or buying it fresh-picked. Avoid buying fruit that needs a week or more to ripen.

More tips: Throw those fresh, ripe fruits into meals that are usually "fit for veggies". Berries or peaches with your meat?
and vice versa...Throw veggies into places that were once the domain of fruit.

Seal fresh foods in glass jars, instead of plastics. Plastics, especially when bumped around on trips or left heating in the sun, can leach toxic chemicals into your foods.

Enjoy the summer harvest and the best nutrition possible!

Spice Down your heart attack risk

A new study in China revealed that the red yeast rice used to spice your Peking duck dish could lower your risk for heart attack. They also explore the effectiveness of taking red yeast rice supplements.
But you need to look beyond this study to discover heart-healthy foods...



What you need to know: Most Chinese food in the U.S. is cooked in ways that make it very unhealthy, and ultimately, worsen heart disease and risk factors. Use of unhealthy oils, preservatives, high sodium, and other ingredients would undo any of the good from a simple spice coating.
Furthermore, kitchens in Chinese restaurants are notorious for creating unhealthy cooking environments. Vegetarian dishes, for example, are often cooked alongside meat dishes.

So, before you start visiting Chinese restaurants more often, consider all of the ways that you can eat healthier to lower heart disease.

Here a few ways to improve your restaurant meals and make them more heart-friendly:
*Ask the staff to trim extra fat from meats
*Choose seafood instead of mammals. Seafood has the "good fats" that we need for better health!
*Eat more vegetables
*Drink a glass of wine with dinner
*Drink water instead of hard alcohol with your meals. Ask for a lime wedge, too, to squeeze into your water.
*Choose fruit sorbets for dessert
*Go for a short walk immediately after dinner

Do you know any good "tricks" for healthier restaurant eating? Share them here. Thanks!

Cities with Heart-Smarts for Women

Do you know what the greatest killer of women is? Heart Disease kills more women than any other ailment or condition!

Dr. Jordan Metzel discusses a study by physicians and health educators. It revealed the lifestyle habits that contribute to healthy hearts in women. They applied these to a study of American communities to find the "Cities with heart-smarts". Watch his interview with Dr. Jennifer Perez as they discuss the findings:



Information from the American Heart Association tells us that lifestyle habits like exercise, awareness, nutritious eating, relieving stress, and community programs all contribute to healthier hearts and reduced heart disease.

Stumble It!

Stressed Out and Multi-Tasking

We're a nation of multi-taskers. Always on the go. Always on alert. Using modern conveniences and technology to squeeeze as much into our days as possible.

ABC shows us just how prevalent this mindset is in the American lifestyle:



How does this lifestyle take a toll on our health?

Stress contributes to pain and disease. Research on stress has conclusively demonstrated that feeling highly stressed increases pain levels, blood pressure, and disease risk. Stress contributes to fatigue, zapping our energy and mood. Stress decreases our sleep, quality and quantity.

Can there be...

Good News about Stress?

Actually, there are stresses that help our bodies. "Good stress" is known as eustress. Physical activity is the type of stress that benefits our health the most. Physical activity includes sports, exercise, recreation and active hobbies.

Physical activity lowers blood pressure, reduces pain and muscle tension, and prevents disease. It improves energy, metabolism, mood and sleep.

Other stressful activities that may be good for us include social events such as weddings and reunions, volunteering for charity functions and local organizations, fun times like festivals and concerts, and major milestones like new babies in the family.

To reduce stress, pain and tension in your life:
*Exercise Regularly
*Eat Nutritious foods
*Practice Spiritual fulfillment
*Meditate and Breathe slowly
*Improve your Sleep habits
*Drink plenty of pure Water

...and minimize your drive to be multi-tasking.

Greet each day with exhuberance and make more time to ...Breathe!